Phil Ford, a real estate appraiser and father of four in Raleigh, North Carolina, initially developed his sauce around 1987 while trying to copy his mother's recipe for a North Carolina-style barbecue sauce. The resulting all natural, fat-free, fragrant blend included: tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, honey, molasses, mustard, horseradish, lemon juice, onions, garlic, peppers, natural hickory smoke, natural spices and salt. In March 1994, “Bone-Suckin’ Sauce,” went on to win the NC Battle of the Sauces… and the story continues. The firm currently exports to 40 countries.

– So delicious! Here’s one way that we use this sauce. We pre-brown a 4 pound top of the rib roast on an outdoor grill (about 4 minutes per side). Then we follow the directions right on the Bone Suckin’ jar - We mix the sauce with 12 ounces of orange juice, pour it over the top of the roast, tightly cover the pan with foil and roast for about 3 hours on 300. Then we uncover it and roast it for 20 minutes more. We let it cool, refrigerate, slice and serve. (It is even better the next day.)

It is truly scrumptious. For those that like their heat, Bone Suckin’ also makes a hot barbecue sauce (We used the original in our recipe). Go to Bonesuckin.com for more recipes and information. Buy it in major supermarkets, nationwide.

How was the Bone Suckin’ name born? Sandi Ford, part of the founding family, thought the sauce was sooo good that it made her do something she'd never done before – suck on the bones to get the last little bit of flavor.